You’re engaged! Yay! Now what? After some celebrating you will start planning your wedding. First, you need to choose a potential wedding date (or two just in case a must have vendor is already booked for that day!). Now that you have a day, you can start to look for vendors for your wedding day. There are so many different vendors you may need for your wedding day, so here are the top 3 to start with.
Wedding Planner
If you will be using a wedding planner to help you plan your wedding and book your vendors, you will want to hire them first! They will be able to help direct you to the different vendors below based on the style and budget of your wedding. Planners will book popular wedding dates quickly as well, as they can only be in one place at one time!
Some wedding planning companies will have multiple planners, so they can book multiple weddings on the same day/weekend. But do not hesitate on finding a planner you love and booking them. They are an invaluable part of your planning process!
Venue
This usually the first vendor an engaged couple thinks of booking. The venue can mean so much to a wedding day, that it is really important to find one that is perfect for your wedding vision and budget. Most venues will only allow for one wedding a day, so most will book popular wedding dates quickly.
But don’t fret, some venues do allow for multiple weddings on the same day. If so, just be clear about the space you have to use and when. They may restrict access to certain parts of the venue if they have multiple weddings on the same day.
Engagement/Wedding Photographer
Now that you have a date and venue secured, you will want to book your photographer. Most photographers (like the vendors above) will only book one wedding a day. This is why it is important to book them so early in the planning process. The top photographers will start booking weddings 9 – 18 months in advance. But do not let that discourage you. Even the best photographers can have open days in their calendars within 6 months of a wedding date. It never hurts to ask.
If you have already found a photographer that you must have photograph your wedding, ask them about your possible date(s) first. Most photographers will not secure the day for you until you have the venue booked, but they can let you know if anyone else is looking at that date so you can have the first chance at booking it with them. Or, if they are already booked, you can change your date before looking at venues.
Bonus: DJ
Say what? I need to book a DJ almost a year in advance for my wedding? I know, I was shocked when I first found this out as well. But it is true! The top DJs will start to book a year in advance. A good DJ can make or break your reception. So, if you are planning on hiring a DJ, start to look at them early in the planning process!
